Summary

• From Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, every 007 actor has provided some of the best James Bond quotes in the franchise.
• 007's puns and one-liners are a key reason the James Bond movies have been so successful.
• Catchphrases like "The name's Bond, James Bond" and "I'll have a vodka martinini - shaken, not stirred" are among the most recognizable in cinema history.

007's 25 movies are so littered with witty dialogue and wry one-liners that the best James Bond quotes rank among the most globally recognized in cinema history. James Bond first appeared in Ian Fleming’s novel Casino Royale in 1953 and went on to appear in 14 books, but the iconic and highly quotable 007 movies are why Britain's most famous fictional spy is a decades-spanning franchise. Sean Connery first played 007 on the big screen, but over the years, actors George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig have all played the spy for Eon Productions' films, with each delivering their own slant on 007.

The most famous James Bond quotes include some of the most iconic lines from the history of movies, with great puns and catchphrases from every era of the spy franchise. From Sean Connery's influential first appearance in Dr. No to Daniel Craig's last in No Time to Die, 007 has been delivering unforgettable quotes for 60 years. Though aspects of the James Bond franchise have changed over the decades, 007's quick wit and distinctly dark sense of humor have remained.

The James Bond movies are available to stream on a variety of platforms, but most are available on Amazon Prime Video or MGM+.

40 "Bond. James Bond."

James Bond in Dr. No (1962)

One of the most iconic James Bond lines came from his very first scene on the big screen back in 1962. Out of all the James Bond quotes out there, “Bond. James Bond” has to be without a doubt the most well-known. When Bond is introduced, he is sitting at a casino table playing Baccarat. When his opponent, Sylvia Trench (Eunice Gayson), says that she admires his luck and asks him his name, Bond replies by simply saying, “Bond. James Bond.” The line has been repeated in several of the 007 movies but there is a certain magic to Connery's first delivery of the words.

39 "I Always Enjoyed Studying A New Tongue."

James Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

After the success of GoldenEye, Pierce Brosnan returned in the role of James Bond for Tomorrow Never Dies. In the film, Bond teams up with Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh) to take down a megalomaniacal media mogul (Jonathan Pryce) who's trying to start a new World War for his own personal gain. However, this James Bond quote comes from an intimate moment between 007 and a Danish professor named Inga Bergstrom (Cecilie Thomsen). Bond says this line while he's in bed with Bergstrom, and it shows just how self-aware the writers of the Bond movies are regarding 007's successful bachelor lifestyle.

38 “Hello. We’re Teachers On Sabbatical And We’ve Just Won The Lottery.”

James Bond in Quantum of Solace (2008)

Daniel Craig's James Bond was a darker and more brooding take on the character, but that doesn't mean he wasn't able to be funny as well. Craig's humor in the role was more of a rebellious cheekiness that made for some very funny moments. When going undercover with Agent Fields in Quantum of Solace, Fields wants to keep a low profile, staying at a modest hotel as teachers on sabbatical. Bond instead ventures into a much swankier hotel and tweaks the cover story to his needs. This Bond quote is a sign of his recklessness and playfulness, which are evident yet underrated aspects of Craig's 007.

37 “Exactly. I Am Now Aiming Precisely At Your Groin. So Speak Or Forever Hold Your Piece.”

James Bond in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

Though each of the Bond actors had fun with the humorous aspect of the character, none of them embraced it as much as Roger Moore. Moore's Bond movies were the most comedic and were the most willing to leave reality behind for some wild adventures. This also resulted in some of the most boundary-pushing one-liners, like this one from The Man with the Golden Gun. Holding a villain at gunpoint, Bond explains that he is aiming at the man's groin and delivers this threatening double entendre. It is hard to imagine any Bond other than Moore getting away with such a line.

36 "What A Helpful Chap."

James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Though Moore's Bond was the most playful, that doesn't mean he didn't channel 007's cold-blooded side as well. One such moment comes in The Spy Who Loved Me when Bond is interrogating a suspect who is in a precarious situation. The man nearly falls off a roof, saved only by managing to grab Bond's necktie. As the man hands over the edge, Bond asks him for information. When his captor immediately gives it up, Bond pulls away his tie, causing the man to fall to his death. The fact that Bond then comments on the man helping him out shows how little remorse he has for taking out villains.

35 "I Just Showed Someone Your Watch. Really Blew Their Mind."

James Bond in No Time To Die (2021)

Daniel Craig's 007 didn't deliver a huge amount of playful puns during the heat of battle compared to some other Bonds, but he did have quite a few good ones — and his last one is arguably his best. It's established earlier in No Time to Die that Bond's new watch has been designed by Q (Ben Whishaw) to emit an EMP, so when Bond uses it in a fight with the henchman Primo (Dali Benssalah), it causes Primo's bionic eye to spark and explode, killing him. Bond then uses this pun to update Q about his status, showing that he still had some classic 007 spirit left in him.

34 “That’s a Smith & Wesson And You’ve Had Your Six.”

James Bond in Dr. No (1962)

Though he is a hero audiences have cheered on for decades, some of the darker James Bond moments prove he has a cold-blooded side that serves him well in his dangerous line of work. Even in his first outing, Bond shows his willingness to shoot an unarmed enemy. The would-be assassin, Dent, enters Bond's hotel room, shooting the bed — only to realize he's been lured into a trap as Bond holds him at gunpoint. Dent once again thinks he gets the drop on Bond and fires his gun, only for it to be empty. The way Sean Connery calmly smokes while he explains to Dent that he already spent his six bullets before shooting Dent dead makes for a cold kill.

33 "A Martini. Shaken, Not Stirred."

James Bond in Goldfinger (1964)

James Bond has drunk a lot of alcohol onscreen since 1962, but most fans know 007's beverage of choice. "A martini. Shaken, not stirred." The famous James Bond quote was lifted directly from Ian Fleming's book, and while Bond's drink of choice was included in the first James Bond movie, the line from 007 didn't come until later.

The famous line has been repeated by 007 in several of the Bond films, but the line first came from the lips of Dr. Julius No, when he offered his opponent a dry martini with a lemon peel. Bond himself doesn't say the line until Goldfinger in 1964, when he orders one on Goldfinger's (Gert Fröbe) plane.

32 "Does It Look Like I Give A Damn."

James Bond in Casino Royale (2006)

Following the disappointment of Die Another Day, the Bond franchise needed a new start, and the Daniel Craig era seemed deadset on returning to a grittier and grounded version. 2006's Casino Royale even did away with many of the franchise aspects fans had come to expect, like gadgets and even one of his most famous lines. Heading to the bar after losing the poker game he bluntly orders a martini. When the bartender asks him if he wants it shaken or stirred, Bond delivers this dismissive line. It is a fun nod to the rest of the franchise that reaffirms the change in direction for 007.

31 "There's A Saying In England: Where There's Smoke, There's Fire."

James Bond in From Russia with Love (1963)

This is another classic line from James Bond's history, originating from the 1963 movie From Russia With Love. It's exactly the mentality that a secret agent should have, as knowing exactly when trouble has the chance to occur is essential to their staying alive. This James Bond quote showed earlier on in the franchise that 007 was a smart character who would use his brain to get out of situations as often as he would use brute force. Bond doesn't come off as cultured and well-traveled just because he lives a playboy lifestyle, 007's also well-read, intelligent, and plugged into the world around him.

30 "You Can Tell Of The One That Got Away."

James Bond in Thunderball (1965)

James Bond seems to run into a lot of threats from animals in his movies, from poisonous spiders to Komodo dragons. Just like when he faces off with human enemies, Bond likes to taunt his animal adversaries with some funny one-liners. Thunderball sees Bond tangling with some sharks and some of them getting too close for comfort. Of course, 007 manages to escape and assures the shark that he will be the one it tells his shark friends about in this cheesy quote that epitomizes the campiness of Connery's era.

29 "Except It Did Stop, Didn’t It? Right Here."

James Bond in Spectre (2015)

James Bond villains love to give long and threatening monologues to Bond instead of killing him. It happens so often that it has been parodied in countless other movies and shows. One of the most memorable villain monologues came from Christoph Waltz's Blofeld as he shows Bond a massive meteor that struck the Earth. Blofeld lavishly describes the meteor as a rock that has traveled great distances in darkness and cold while building momentum and becoming an unstoppable force. However, Bond finishes the long-winded grandiose analogy by bluntly pointing out that the "unstoppable" meteor was stopped, removing Blofeld's chance to enjoy the moment.

28 "That Last Hand Nearly Killed Me."

James Bond in Casino Royale (2006)

One of the tensest scenes in Casino Royale is when Bond is poisoned by the villain, Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), and must race to counteract the poison's effects before time runs out. After narrowly escaping death thanks to the help of Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), Bond returns to the card game he had to leave after being poisoned, delivering this humorously dry line. It's the kind of pitch-perfect Bond quote that sold audiences on Daniel Craig as a long-lasting 007.

27 "Well, I Like To Do Some Things The Old-Fashioned Way."

James Bond in Skyfall (2012)

While Die Another Day from 2002 was a fairly disappointing entry to the series for Bond’s 40th Anniversary, Eon Productions more than made up for it for Bond’s 50th. In 2012, Skyfall was released, which saw Bond go back to his roots in every sense. In one scene in Skyfall, Bond shaves with a straight razor and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) mentions that the choice is very traditional, to which Bond replies with this quote. The line perfectly fits the theme of the movie, which was all about celebrating the 50 years of Bond.

26 "No. For Me."

James Bond in GoldenEye (1995)

Though he was almost James Bond himself Sean Bean fits perfectly into the villainous role of Alec Trevelyan in GoldenEye. What makes him one of the best Bond villains, along with Bean's performance, is the history he shares with Bond as a fellow double-o who was secretly working against MI-6. This makes for a particularly charged final confrontation between the two men which ends with Alec hanging above a deadly fall with his life now in Bond's hands. Alec attempts to remind Bond of their history, asking "For England, James?" but Bond assures him it is personal before dropping Alec.

25 "I Think He Got The Point."

James Bond in Thunderball (1965)

Bond is famously not above cracking a joke after killing someone. One example of this comes in the 1965 film Thunderball featuring Sean Connery. In the movie, 007 is sitting on a beach with Domino (Claudine Auger) as one of the henchmen of the main villain, Largo (Adolfo Celi) quietly sneaks behind them. After Domino spots him, she alerts Bond, who quickly turns around and shoots the henchman with a spear gun. It's one of Bond's most brutal kills yet produces one of his funniest lines.

24 "I Don’t Know if I Trust You Either. That’s What Makes It More Exciting, Doesn’t It?"

James Bond in Moonraker (1979)

Bond makes plenty of allies over the course of the movies, but there are also a number of people who betray him after pretending to be friends. While that undoubtedly gives him some trust issues, it also doesn't deter him from working with others, even if they're new aquaintances. In Moonraker, Bond and Dr. Goodhead make an uneasy alliance though she admits she doesn't fully trust him. Bond admits the same, but also thinks it makes things more exciting. While Roger Moore's Bond will always save the day, he will also try to have fun while doing it.

23 "We All Have Our Secrets. We Just Didn’t Get To Yours Yet."

James Bond in No Time to Die (2021)

There have been rare times when a woman has become truly important to Bond, and it always ends up being a challenge. Such was the case with Madeleine Swann, who Bond went off into the sunset with at the end of Spectre. However, their happy ending doesn't last long, and Bond's trust issues once again become a problem. After Blofeld leaves suggests to 007 that Madeleine is hiding something, he doesn't even question what his enemy's motivations might be and chooses to believe that she has betrayed him. It shows a severely flawed side of Bond that adds to his layered characterization in the later movies.

22 "Stuff Your Orders."

James Bond in The Living Daylights (1987)

While every viewer has their own opinion on the best Bond actor, Timothy Dalton's James Bond is a strong contender for the most underrated. With only two movies in the franchise, which both underperformed, Dalton is often overlooked. However, Dalton's 007 helped usher in the era of a dark and more brooding Bond that the later movies latched onto. One of the defining aspects of Dalton's Bond was his willingness to defy direct orders and turn his back on MI-6 if he deemed it necessary. After refusing to shoot a would-be amateur assassin, Bond lets it be known that he does not follow blindly and will make his own decisions.

21 "Bon Appetit!"

James Bond in You Only Live Twice (1967)

Not only does Bond enjoy delivering the occasional cheesy one-liner after killing someone, he doesn't seem to mind if no one is around to hear the joke. You Only Live Twice features one of the great elaborate villain traps in the series with Blofeld's pool of piranhas. Quite predictably, Bond eventually finds himself fighting a henchman above the pool near the climax of the movie, dropping the man into the water and seeing the deadly fish make a meal out of him. Bond making this darkly comedic joke to himself shows the kind of fun the character can be, which sets him apart from other action heroes of the spy movie genre.